Chapter 38 - His Majesty wants to celebrate a Spring Hunt (1/2)

Xue Yuan had never felt this way.

Even when he applied medicine for the Emperor, Xue Yuan had only thought that the young Emperor’s skin was as tender as tofu. But now, seeing Gu Yuanbai revealing a completely different side from his usual cruelty, Xue Yuan felt his scalp tingling as if his head was going to explode.

They were all men, but, like jade, his thing was completely different from Xue Yuan’s. He had always thought that everyone’s thing looked hideous, but, unexpectedly, Gu Yuanbai’s didn’t.

The Emperor was indeed made of jade, impeccably beautiful and precious in every way.

Xue Yuan took a step back, feeling a little hot. With strong restraint, he shifted his gaze away, returned to the wooden door, knocked on it and called out, “Your Majesty, this official is bringing tea.”

His brain kept saying, it’s pink, it’s actually pink.

Gu Yuanbai was startled and squeezed too hard with his hand. His expression twisted in pain for a moment and, after relaxing his hold, he ordered quietly, “Set it down.”

Xue Yuan was still a little dazed and didn’t hear this response.

Gu Yuanbai didn’t hear him walk away, and he was forced to stop. When he turned his head to look, he saw a black shadow standing outside the door. The black shadow was tall and standing in front of the door like a guardian statue.

Gu Yuanbai was stuck in such a position, still feeling heated, and he reluctantly asked, “Xue Yuan?”

Xue Yuan said without thinking, “It’s very beautiful.”

Gu Yuanbai: “?”

Gu Yuanbai asked, “What? ”

Xue Yuan came back to his senses in an instant. He looked at the wooden door, and he thought he spotted the young Emperor1 through the lattice. He was crazy. He had to be crazy. He actually thought that the thing the Emperor was playing with was more expensive and precious than fondling a bar of jade.

It should be warm… so there really are men that look pink and tender like that…

He coughed heavily and said, “Your Majesty’s voice sounds off, are you feeling uncomfortable?”

Gu Yuanbai looked down at his hand and said, “…it’s nothing, step back.”

Xue Yuan turned around, took a few steps, and sensed that something was wrong when he was about to step out of the palace door. He looked down and realized that he was still carrying the freshly brewed tea in his arms.

Xue Yuan stood there in silence for a while, then went back and put the tea in front of the door, and then strode out of the palace.

When Gu Yuanbai got out of the bath, half an hour had passed. He was wearing a robe, and the palace attendant outside was called in to wait on him. Once he was neatly dressed and the water in his hair had been wiped off, the sun outside had moved to the west.

As soon as the Emperor walked out of the palace gate, Xue Yuan looked over and saw that the parts of the Emperor’s white skin that were visible had turned red from the steam. Xue Yuan felt his head explode again and went completely red.

Among all the guards, his expression was the strangest. Gu Yuanbai looked sideways and remembered the pot of tea he had placed in front of the door, so he lazily said, “Official Xue, go and get the pot of tea you brought me and bring it back.”

Xue Yuan replied, “Yes.”

He walked quickly to the hall and, within a few breaths, he found the pot of tea next to the door. Xue Yuan picked up the tea and looked at the bath inside the door. Its sweet scent reached him.

Xue Yuan couldn’t help himself and wondered whether that pale noodle had also been steamed by the hot water.

…Xue Jiuyao, it’s none of your business whether the young Emperor is pink or not.

Xue Yuan walked out carrying the drink with a cold face.

Gu Yuanbai took a few sips and his dry lips finally felt better. He had just gotten off. What was a pleasant surprise was the fact that, although his thing was tender and not very big, it had great stamina, which at least let Gu Yuanbai have some self esteem as a man.

He returned to the palace in a good mood. The day’s affairs had been processed ahead of schedule, and Gu Yuanbai took out a document to read it. After a while, he suddenly thought of something. “Is this year’s Spring Hunt happening soon?”

Tian Fusheng replied quietly, “There is still about half a month to go.”

Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, “We haven’t gone hunting for a long time, government affairs have kept Us too busy. Even We want to relax.”

Tian Fusheng couldn’t help but say, “Your Majesty, the imperial doctor asked you not to think too hard. How can you endure staying busy all day long?”

If the Emperor’s body were healthy, Tian Fusheng would never dare say such a thing, trying to convince His Majesty not to be too diligent. However, the Emperor was weak and prone to getting sick, and such a busy schedule would wreck him.

Gu Yuanbai smiled and said, “Let’s arrange the rules of Spring Hunting.” The Emperor switched topics, and Tian Fusheng could do nothing but step back and arrange for someone to place the Spring Hunt on the agenda.

The Spring Hunt and the Autumn Hunt had a specific set of regulations since ancient times, and implementing them didn’t cause much trouble. The Imperial Army set off ten days in advance to secure the mountain and ensure there’d be nothing that might threaten the Emperor’s safety.

The Spring Hunt was supposed to take place in March, but the examinations had been held in March that year, so it was postponed. Now it was May, and the spring wasn’t over yet. The breeze was very pleasant, neither too cold nor too hot, and it was a good time for hunting.

Naturally, the entirety of the court followed the Emperor’s orders.

The Spring Hunt was a grand hunt in an enclosed area. There were requirements for all the Imperial family members and officials of the court who could participate. A few days ago, everyone at the palace had been afraid to speak up or even breathe. First, they were frightened by the matter with Prince Qi and the Imperial Censor, and then by seeing how those that spoke up in Prince Qi’s favor were sent to rural posts. These days there seemed to be a heavy rock crushing them, and everyone behaved cautiously with their words and actions, fearing committing a grave mistake.

And such an atmosphere wouldn’t be conducive to the stability of the court.

Therefore, Gu Yuanbai proposed the Spring Hunt. Another purpose was to ease the relationship between the Emperor and his courtiers, so as to have them worry less.

The idea worked well. As soon as the news came out, the capital became lively, and various government offices began to speed up various proceedings to make time for the Spring Hunt.